Four months ago, we heard that Lauren Ambrose (Servant) was joining the cast of the Showtime series Yellowjackets to play the adult version of the character Van Palmer in season 2 of the show. A character viewers hadn’t even been sure survived to reach adulthood. Now Deadline has gotten their hands on the first images of Ambrose as the character, and you can see them at the bottom of this article.
The teenage Van benefits from the addition of adult Van to the show, as Liv Hewson (Santa Clarita Diet) – who plays teen Van – has officially been promoted to series regular for season 2.
Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis star in Yellowjackets, which is is described as “equal parts survival epic, horror story, and coming-of-age drama.” The story centers on a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. The series will chronicle their descent from a complicated but thriving team to warring, cannibalistic clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.
Created, written, executive produced by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson (who serve as showrunners alongside executive producer Jonathan Lisco), the series also stars Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Sammi Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher, Steven Krueger, Amy Okuda, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Courtney Eaton.
Ambrose’s fellow new cast additions in Yellowjackets season 2 will include Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Elijah Wood (the Lord of the Rings trilogy), and guest star Jason Ritter (Freddy vs. Jason), who happens to be married to Lynskey.
Ricci and Hanratty play the present and teenage versions of Misty, “the Yellowjackets’ equipment manager. Eager to please and easy to overlook, Misty’s abundance of team spirit belies a hidden dark side.” Lewis plays the present day version of a character named Natalie, with Sophie Thatcher playing the teenage Natalie. “Despite her natural talent, Natalie’s punk rock spirit and habit of finding trouble make her the unlikeliest member of the team. As an adult, Natalie struggles to quiet the demons that still haunt her from her time in the wilderness.” Purnell’s character is Jackie, “the Yellowjackets’ magnetically charismatic, effortlessly popular, occasionally entitled team captain.” Lynskey and Nelisse are the present and teen versions of a character named Shauna. “25 years later, Shauna is on a mission to reclaim her agency — her life — while doing everything in her power to keep her darkest secrets safe.” Krueger plays Ben Scott, “the assistant coach and the object of many an unrequited crush.” Okuda is Cat Wheeler, “a history teacher recruited to bolster the female presence on the coaching staff, despite knowing literally nothing about soccer.” Cypress and Brown are both playing the character Taissa, “the star player on the Yellowjackets squad; now, 25 years later, her political ambitions threaten to derail the survivors’ pact of secrecy.” Hewson and Ambrose play Yellowjackets team member Van. Eaton and Kessell play team member Lottie, who was forced to go off her anti-psychotic medication after the plane crash. And Wood will be playing a dedicated Citizen Detective.
Are you looking forward to Yellowjackets season 2? Let us know by leaving a comment below. Showtime believes a lot of people are looking forward to the new season, so they have already gone ahead and ordered Yellowjackets season 3.
Here are the pictures of Lauren Ambrose as adult Van: